Mark Cavendish: 'I'd want to stay in cycling forever'

Sir Mark Cavendish has said that would find it hard to imagine a life out of pro cycling, such is his ingrained love for the sport.

However, speaking ahead of tomorrow's Saitama Criterium in Japan, and just before trying out the martial art aikido alongside Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Yukiya Ashiro (Bahrain Victorious) the Astana Qazaqstan rider continued to play his cards close to his chest with regard to his plans for next season.

“I don't think so… you never know," he said when asked whether he could ever envisage a career outside of pro cycling. "It's what I know, have success in, it's what I have the network in, it is what I love more than anything. So of course, I'd want to stay in cycling forever."

The Manx man is set to ride ASO's Singapore Criterium next weekend for what was reportedly going to be his final race as a pro rider. But he set the rumour mill racing at the Tour de France route presentation earlier this week when asked whether he might attend the 2025 race and attempt to add a 36th stage to his tally, saying simply, "We'll see".

Speaking at Saitama, he refused to be drawn on whether he would be at next year's Tour, but did offer his thoughts on the race route.

"It's quite a contrast to this year," he said. "Whereas this year was pretty flat days or really mountainous, [next year] is kind of squashed out so that the mountainous days aren't as shocking as last year. The profile's a lot more, I guess, 'medium' profile.

"It'll still be the same people winning though," he qualified with a wry smile.

In what has been a memorable year for the 39-year-old, Cavendish was knighted earlier this year, in the June King's birthday honours, and he also took a record-beating 35th stage in the Tour de France, winning in Saint-Vulbas on stage five.

Talking about why he enjoyed coming to the Saitama Criterium, now in its 10th year, he said: "I think it's important for riders to give back to sport and to help the sport grow by doing that. And it's nice, of course. Japan is still such a different culture. There's not many places left in the world that are so different in culture that you really experience something new."